Out of Gas...

After busting out of the gate to a 4-1 lead halfway through the game, the Pens gave up four consecutive goals and lost 5-4 to the Capitals in overtime. This majorly was due to the fatigue and lackluster play late into the second and throughout the third. They looked extremely focused and completely outplayed the Caps in the first and through most of the second, but faded away as the game wore on. Sidney Crosby and Jordan Staal recorded two goals each, but were overshadowed by the hat trick of Alexander Ovechkin. Once overtime began, it looked evenly matched until the Capitals were given a powerplay with under 3 minutes to go. Mike Knuble deflected in an Ovechkin point shot for the Caps' 14th straight victory. To add insult to injury, the Penguins AHL affiliate experienced a similar collapse to the Hershey Bears sunday afternoon at the Giant Center forfeiting a 3-0 lead to a 5-4 loss on a Hershey PP goal with little over a minute remaining. The cause for the Penguins' fatigue can likely be due to their bizarre night before and the fact they did not arrive in Washington DC until after 2 AM. The defense at many times looked vulnerable and allowed rebounds and gave up important pieces of ice at times. While I am not going to speculate about trade possibilities, many Pens fans believe that changes may be made in the next week before the Olympic roster freeze that takes place during the Winter Games. Ray Shero has proven himself to be a knowledgable and cunning GM over the years, and I personally have my full faith in him. The Pens next game is Wednesday against the Islanders at Mellon Arena.